Syllabus for Religion 4002/6002

Prophetic Literature

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:00-9:15am

Beth LaRocca-Pitts, Instructor

Dr. LaRocca-Pitts can be reached at mblp@charter.net. Office hours are arranged by appointment.

Goals of the Course:

To familiarize the student with the Prophetic literature of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament

To introduce the student with issues surrounding the phenomenology of prophesy

To introduce the student to the wider ancient Near Eastern world of which prophesy was a part

Course Requirements: Complete two of the following paper options (each is 30% of your grade)

Paper one: The social functions of prophecy, 8-10 pages

Paper two: Prophecy and its historical setting, 8-10 pages

Paper three: Prophecy and its relation to other Israelite traditions, 8-10 pages

Paper four: Prophetic literary forms, 8-10 pages

The first paper is due on or before February 10^th and the Midterm in scheduled for March 3^rd so that students may know 60% of their grade by the midterm withdrawal deadline of March 24^th. The second paper is due at the end of the course, April 30^th.

In Class Midterm: March 3^rd 30% of your grade

Attendance: 10% of your grade

Please Note: All academic work must meet the standards contained in “A Culture of Honesty.” Students are responsible for informing themselves about those standards before performing any academic work. For  more information about academic honesty see: http://www.uga.edu/ovpi/honesty/acadhon.htm. Also, please be aware that the course syllabus is a general plan for the course; deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary.

Required Texts:

Harper Collins Study Bible (or other analytical reference edition, i.e. The Oxford Annotated).

Joseph Blenkinsopp, A History of Prophecy in Israel (Louisville: John Knox/Westminster Press, 1983).

Robert R. Wilson, Prophecy and Society in Ancient Israel (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1980).

Classroom Agenda and Assignments:

Classroom time will be divided between lectures on, and discussion of, various prophetic phenomena. This will require that students have read the material for each class and come prepared to enter into the discussion. The assignments are designed to get the student involved in larger issues related to prophesy beyond the simple content of the prophetic books. See below for instructions regarding the paper assignments.

Course Schedule

Th 1/8 Introduction to the course

Readings: Wilson pp. 1-19

Section 1: The background of prophecy as a phenomenon

Tu 1/13 The wider world of prophecy: Israel and beyond.

Readings: Blenkinsopp pp. 30-48; Wilson pp. 89-134

Th 1/15 & Tu 20 The origins of prophecy in Israel: Seers, Ecstatics, and “Men o’ God.”

Readings: Blenkinsopp, pp. 26-30; Wilson pp. 21-88, 253-63

Biblical Readings: 1 Samuel 1-10, 28; 2 Samuel 14; 1 Kings 13

Section 2: Prophets without books

Th 1/22 The first political prophets: Samuel, Nathan, Gad, and Ahijah of Shiloh

Readings: Blenkinsopp, pp. 48-55; Wilson pp. 135-91; 263-66

Biblical Readings: 1 Samuel 11-15; 2 Samuel 11-12, 24; 1 Kings 1-3, 14

Tu 1/274 Later political prophets: Michaiah, Huldah, and a cast of thousands!

Readings: Wilson pp. 191-212, 219-23

Biblical Readings: 1 Kings 22; 2 Kings 19-20; 22-24

Th 1/29 Elijah and Elisha

Readings: Blenkinsopp, pp. 55-64

Biblical Readings: 1 Kings 18-21; 2 Kings 1-13

Tu 2/3 A prophetic book that isn’t really a prophetic book: Jonah

Readings: Blenkinsopp, 240-45; Wilson pp. 213,

Biblical Readings: Jonah

Section 3: The editorial life of the prophetic books

Th 2/5 & Tu 2/10 The prophets and the Deuteronomist and the Chronicler

Readings: Blenkinsopp, pp. 7-16; Wilson pp. 213-19, 224-5; 292-94

First Paper Due 2/10

Th 2/12 The book of the twelve minor prophets

Tu 2/17 Three Isaiahs, two Jeremiahs, two Ezekiels, and two Zechariahs

Section 4: The minor prophets

Th 2/19 The first of the great writing prophets: Amos

Readings: Blenkinsopp, pp. 72-82; Wilson pp. 266-70

Biblical Readings: Amos

Tu 2/24 The Northern Kingdom’s greatest critic: Hosea

Readings: Blenkinsopp, pp. 83-90; Wilson pp. 225-231

Biblical Readings: Hosea

Th 2/26 The Southern outsider: Micah

Readings: Blenkinsopp, pp. 91-97; Wilson pp. 274-76

Biblical Readings: Micah

Tu 3/3 In Class Midterm

Th 3/5 Witness to the First and Last Great Victory for the Southern Kingdom: Isaiah of Jerusalem

Readings: Blenkinsopp, pp. 98-110; Wilson pp. 270-74

Biblical Readings: Isaiah 1-23, 28-39

Tu 3/10 & Th 3/12 No Class: Spring Break

Tu 3/17 Celebrating the fall of Assyria: Nahum

Readings: Blenkinsopp, pp. 122-124; Wilson pp. 276-77

Biblical Readings: Nahum

Th 3/19 A Prophet lost in the first Deportation: Ezekiel

Readings: Blenkinsopp, pp. 166-80; 282-86

Biblical Readings: Ezekiel 1-23

Tu 3/24 Class Canceled: Professor has a conflict

Withdrawal deadline

Th 3/26 Ezekiel Continued:

Biblical Readings: Ezekiel 22-44

Tu 3/31 Those who likely witnessed the fall of Jerusalem: Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Obadiah, Joel

Readings: review Blenkinsopp, pp. 124-29; 157-63; Wilson pp. 278-82, 87, 89-90

Biblical Readings: Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Obadiah, Joel

Th 4/2 One who definitely witnessed the fall of Jerusalem: Jeremiah

Readings: Blenkinsopp pp. 130-47; Wilson pp. 231-51

Biblical Readings: Jeremiah 1-24

Tu 4/7 Jeremiah Continued:

Readings: Blenkinsopp, pp. 148-60

Biblical Readings: Jeremiah 25-52

Th 4/9 The Voice calling in the Wilderness: Second Isaiah and the Isaianic Apocalypse

Readings: Blenkinsopp, pp. 182-93; 226-39

Biblical Readings: Isaiah 24-27, 40-55

Tu 4/14 Prophets of the Restoration: Haggai and Zechariah 1-8

Readings: Wilson pp. 287-89

Biblical Readings: Haggai and Zechariah 1-8

Th 4/16 The Restoration drags on: Third Isaiah

Biblical Readings: Isaiah 56-66

Tu 4/21 The Beginning of the Apocalyptic prophets: Malachi and Zechariah 9-14

Readings: Wilson pp. 290-92

Biblical Readings: Malachi, Zechariah 9-14

Th 4/23 A second prophetic book that isn’t really a prophetic book: Daniel

Biblical Reading: Daniel

Tu 4/28 Prophecy becomes apocalyptic

Th 4/30 So what happened to the prophets?

Second Paper Due

Paper Assignment Descriptions

Note: These are research papers. They are required to demonstrate research, meaning, they must have footnotes and bibliography for the sources of information you use.

Paper Option One: The social functions of prophecy

Select one of the questions below and write 8-10 pages in answer to it:

Option one: Discuss how prophets functioned as healers. How was this different from the way priests functioned as healers?

Option two: Discuss how a particular prophet functioned as an oracle. How was this different from the way diviners and other omen takers functioned as oracles?

Option three: Discuss how the presence and influence of prophets in Israelite society served to uphold older covenant law in the face of royal encroachment on that law.

Paper Option Two: Prophecy and its historical setting

Select any one of the prophetic books and spend 8-10 pages discussing the major historical events that occurred in that prophet’s time. Give chapter and verse references for the historical events your prophet discusses. After your discussion, include a map of Israel on which you:

1. Outline the geographical boundaries of Judah and or Israel at the time of your prophet’s work.

2. Label the cities, countries or other locations discussed by your prophet.

To assist you in this project, refer to any bible atlas or historical introduction to ancient Israel. Suggested introductions include:

John Bright, A History of Israel

John Hayes and Max Miller, Israelite and Judean History

John Hayes and Max Miller, A History of Ancient Israel and Judah

Donald Redford, Egypt, Canaan and Israel in Ancient Times

Paper Option Three: Prophecy and its relation to other Israelite traditions

Select one of the questions below and write 8-10 pages in answer to it:

Option one: Discuss the relationship between the Deuteronomist and the prophetic corpus, especially Isaiah. How do scholars explain the relationship between the editing of the historical books and editorial activity in the prophetic books?

Option two: Discuss the relationship between Ezekiel, the Priestly Writer, and the author of the Holiness Code. Why do some scholars think they were all a part of a larger “school” within ancient Israel?

Paper Option Four: Prophetic literary forms

Pick one of the prophetic literary forms listed below and write an 8-10 page discussion of it. Make sure you provide chapter and verse examples of the form you are discussing. More than one prophet’s work can be included.

Covenant lawsuits Futility curses Parables Disputations

Riddles laments War oracles x, x + 1 structures

Polemic Allegory Chiastic Structure Acrostics

Satire Proverbs Puns Fictive Legal Cases